Gather the Outcasts

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Crossing Over Jordan River

Dear beloved: When Joshua (Hoshea, "salvation") arrived at the Jordan River with the Nation of Israel, the Lord spoke to him about how He was to lead the children across. Joshua 3:11" Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. v13 " And it shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above shall stand in one heap." v16 and the waters that were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zerathan, and those that were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed at Jericho.

What a beautiful prophetic picture was portrayed in the crossing of the Jordan; the millions of the children of Israel, led by Joshua (the Old Testament shadow of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), and the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, going from the wilderness, across the Jordan, and into the promised land to take the land from the giants and all the wicked tribes who were dwelling there. When the soles of the priests who were carrying the Ark set foot in the Jordan, the water was cut off and stacked up all the way upstream to the city of Adam. God was showing His children, "I am cutting off your sin, rolling back the reproach of it all the way to the first man, Adam. In me there is redemption and the remission of sin." Just as sin entered the world through the first Adam, so too, sin is rolled back by the blood of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

Then the Lord asked Joshua to complete the prophetic picture by commanding twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, to take a large stone from the middle of the Jordan and set the stones on the Jericho side to make an altar. Joshua 4:21 And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, What are these stones? v22 Then you will inform your children, saying, "Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground." v24 That all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever." Just as God took the children out of bondage of Egypt (sin), through the dry and barren wilderness (life separated from the promises of eternal life with God), and across the Jordan where He rolled back the sin all the way to Adam, the blood of Jesus rolls back our sin, removes our bondage, and leads us into the promise of eternity with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, never to go back into the wilderness again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. And as we are made new in Christ, it was only the new generation, those under twenty years who were allowed to go into the promised land; behold, the old had passed away. Four days later the children celebrated the Passover at Gilgal, and the next day they ceased to eat manna and began to eat the produce of the land of promise. Beloved, give thanks to the Lord today for our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him we can inherit the land and eat the produce of the land, and be satisfied forever. May God bless you as you pray, in Christ, Jim www.jimrowh.blogspot.com